Bidens’ income increased in 2013

WASHINGTON – Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, saw a slight increase in their income in 2013, according to tax returns released by the White House.

The Bidens reported adjusted gross income of $407,009, about 5.7 percent more than the $385,072 they reported a year ago.

They paid $114,492 in total taxes, including $96,378 in federal taxes, an effective tax rate of 23.7 percent. They also paid $14,644 in Delaware income tax. Jill Biden, who teaches at Northern Virginia Community College, paid $3,470 in Virginia income tax.

That’s more than the $98,169 in total taxes that President Barack Obama and first lady Michele Obama paid on adjusted gross income of $481,098, according to their tax returns. The Obamas’ income dropped 21 percent from the $608,611 they reported in 2012, reflecting declining sales of the president’s books.

The Bidens reported $26,400 in income from a cottage on their property in Delaware that they’ve rented to the Secret Service, the same amount they reported last year.

The Bidens contributed $20,523 to charity in 2013, up from just $7,190 in 2012. Conservative commentators such as Bill O'Reilly of Fox News have criticized Biden in past years for not giving more to charity.

Most of those donations — $15,300 — were royalties from Jill Biden’s book, “Don’t Forget, God Bless the Troops,” that the Bidens contributed to the USO.

The Bidens also contributed to St. Joseph’s on the Brandywine, the Ministry of Caring — Book Buddies, the ALS Association, the Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation and churches.

Jill Biden started “Book Buddies” in 2007 to provide children at Ministry of Caring daycare centers with books to encourage reading at home and literacy, according to the ministry’s web site.

Contributing: Paul Singer, USA TODAY

Contact Nicole Gaudiano at ngaudiano@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ngaudiano.